The invention is directed to a support rack for pliable plastic bags and more particularly to a plastic trash bag holder formed from a pair of wire sides that are foldable together for storage and deplorable apart to a rack use position for supporting a pliable plastic bag as a receptacle and storing additional folded pliable plastic bags for future use thereon.
Other holders for a similar purpose and construction can be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
3,502,291; PA1 3,659,816; PA1 4,593,873; PA1 4,613,104; and PA1 4,723,741.
The last four above referenced patents employ wire sides which interlock in various manners to form an upright support for a pliable bag. The collapsible stand set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,816 by inventor James D. Wilson teaches a self-supporting collapsible stand for supporting pliable plastic bags, laundry bags or the like. The stand of the teaching is formed of a pair of essentially rectangular wire-formed loops which extend transversely to one another on a pivotal X-like relationship. The sides of one of the wire loops have respective intermediate S-shaped portions therein, and the sides of the other loop having respective U-shaped portions therein and intersecting the aforementioned S-shaped portions of the first wire loop to form a stop for the loops and limit the maximum allowable angular movement therebetween. The teaching of this reference is limited in the fact that the stop formed by the combined S and U shaped bends in the sides of the loops has only one stop position, i.e. an extreme open position, and cannot be locked in place to support various sized bags or locked against folding to a closed position. If smaller bags are used the material of the bag is required to provided the necessary stop to prevent the sides of the stand from seeking the normal stop formed by the S and U bends. No provision is made in this device for supporting and storing unused bags for future use, handles for attaching the normal handle openings found in pliable shopping bags or support means for any bags which are co-planar with the sides of the stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,873 teaches a device similar to the last mentioned device and additionally includes a lid that can be actuated by a foot pedal. The side supports have an S and U shaped interconnects as mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,613,104 and 4,723,741 teach foldable rack support devices the sides of which are interconnected for pivoting by external connectors.
There is a continuing need for an improved support means for pliable plastic bags especially the reuse of those pliable plastic bags with open handle access areas which a large number of grocery and other stores supply to purchasers of products to contain those goods until the purchaser reaches home. The recycle of these bags for the use as trash bags or the like provides a saving both economically to the buying public and a benefit to the ecology.